Many new business programs start getting sluggish as the holidays approach. Prospecting for new business can feel pretty unappealing, and as celebration season starts it’s pretty easy to think about office parties, and sipping a cocktail (perhaps one with an umbrella).
Unfortunately, working less on ad agency new business will not yield more new clients. Nor will it help you become a more effective new business person.
As Malcolm Gladwell discusses in Outliers:
…the people at the very top don’t work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.
He cites numerous examples of what it takes to rise to the top of your profession. Here are a few:
* 10,000 hours to be a great musician, chess or hockey player (and I would argue just about anything else).
* Working night and day to build a business.
* Having parents who lead by example and set the expectation for you to work hard and not settle for mediocrity.
* Being born during a group of years that position you take advantage of technological breakthroughs.
We are lucky today: there are opportunities to excel all around us. In your new business life, it takes hard work – and time. If you put in the hours, continually educate yourself, experiment, and keep striving for higher levels of performance, you’ll achieve your goals.
So, resist the little cocktail umbrella, at least today. Instead, do a little more research, make a few more calls. Add a few more hours towards the 10,000 you need to become a new business expert.